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How the liberal arts at Notre Dame helped a first-generation American find her voice

Sara Abdel-Rahim delivers the invocation at the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration luncheon, part of the 2017 Walk the Walk Week.

Sara Abdel-Rahim ’17 found her voice in the liberal arts — and she amplified it through research, internships, and leadership roles on campus.

“The College of Arts and Letters has helped me build confidence in so many different ways — academically, socially, and personally,” she said. “The liberal arts teach you to engage with issues and to be part of conversations you might not otherwise. I wouldn’t have this inquisitive nature — or the ability to act on it — if I hadn’t been here.”

As a first-generation American citizen, the political science and Arabic major wants to battle against cultural and religious discrimination.

She’s delved into issues of immigration and integration through research projects, studied public policy during a semester of classes and internships at think tanks in Washington, D.C., and worked side-by-side with a professor analyzing concepts of citizenship after the French Revolution.